TDA Defies Description

Little things like this crack me up: The front page of The Tribune-Democrat listed Sunday's Johnstown FolkFest lineup. After each performer's name there was a description (for instance, "Sleepy LaBeef, rockabilly," "Terrance Simien, zydeco," "Bonerama, trombones" and "Maia Sharp, singer-songwriter").

After each performer's name save one, that is: Those Darn Accordions.

Apparently no genretyping is needed (or maybe possible), so the name stood alone.

Which is cool. We had a great time playing Saturday and Sunday, and we heard some great music and ate some great food -- who knew mashed new potatoes covered in steak, grilled onions, mushrooms, broccoli and cheese could be so good?. FolkFest is a fun festival all around, and despite the threat (and occasional reality) of rain, people came out in droves and had a good time. That's just what we like to see. And what we hope to see again in 2007.

P.S. Just saw this FolkFest preview piece in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. It's writer talks a lot about how cool and eclectic the free festival is, and -- like the Tribune-Democrat scribe -- doesn't seem to know what label to pin on TDA:

This year "folk" proves to be an especially elastic concept. There's the soulful "sacred steel" guitars of the Lee Boys, which could fall loosely under the "gospel" rubric. There's the hippie jam-band circuit stalwarts The Recipe. There's the electric-funk brass band Bonerama, which features multiple trombones. There's the Terrance Simien & The Zydeco Experience, playing their endangered brand of New Orleans dance music, and Maia Sharp, who's written songs for Bonnie Raitt, Trisha Yearwood and the Dixie Chicks. There's also self-explanatory groups like the Irish Descendents and Jazz in Your Face -- and groups with names like Doll Hospital and Those Darn Accordions that give no clues as to their sounds. You'll just have to find out for yourself.